Trump-Russia inquiry heats up as three key aides indicted

Paul Manafort and Rick Gates plead not guilty to money laundering and fraud

The special investigation into Russian election meddling has closed in dramatically on Donald Trump after news broke on Monday that a former foreign policy adviser pleaded guilty to perjury over his contacts with Russians linked to the Kremlin, and the president’s former campaign manager and another aide faced charges of money laundering.

In a day of rapid and surprising developments in Washington, George Papadopolous, the former foreign policy adviser, was revealed to have pleaded guilty earlier this month to lying to FBI investigators over his contacts last year with two people with apparently close ties to the Russian government.